Tipping can be 'confusing and problematic.' So why do we still do it?

As the joint owner of a restaurant in East Vancouver, Jackie Avery has spent more time than mostthinking about the practice of tipping.

But even she admits she's not sure what to do atagrowing number of businesses offering the optionto tipstaff.

"I honestly don't know what isappropriate," said Avery,co-owner of The Burrow, a Mexican-influenced restaurant.

Avery saysshe's developed a basic rule of thumb when a coffee shop, takeout restaurant or other business offers anoption to tip on the point-of-sale terminal, she adds20 per cent.

"If there's a tip option there and there's a 20 per centoption, I just pick it," she said. "I have no idea.I feelbaffled about what the protocol is as I imagine a lot of us are feeling right now as more and more tip options pop up in more irregular places."

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice of tipping became a topic of conversation as customers looked to acknowledge workers who continued to work under challenging circumstances. Rising inflation nowhas many consumers rethinking their spending habits, including how much and how often one should tip.

Jennifer Grant, a Kelowna-based business etiquette consultant,says tipping is a practice that, in North America at least, isboth universal and deeply personal. For Grant, gratuities arean opportunity to show gratitude.

"My personal philosophy is that I'm definitely always cognizant that I want to reward or appreciate someone for great service or going the extra mile," she said.

Simon Pek, an assistant professor at the University of Victoria's Gustavson School of Business,says there are more opportunities to tip than ever before. Cafesandlimited-service restaurants offer tipping options, as do so-called gig-economy services like Uber and Skip the Dishes. EvenYouTubeallows users to tip content creators.

As opportunities to tip increase, so does thepressure however subtle put on customers.

"If the machine is put towards us and we're looking at the [tip] options, we know that twoseconds later, the person that's providing service is going to have a look and if we didn't tipthat can be a bit awkward," Grant said.

So how much do people tip? Grant estimates an average range of 15 to 20 per cent, with Pek suggesting it may be slightly higher than that.

Why do we still tip?

The culture of tipping persists despite its many shortcomings, says Pek. Leaving part ofa worker's compensation to the whim of consumers,rather than the business owner, can lead to income volatility.

"There's a possibility of discrimination as certain groups of workers who perform at roughly the same level might get tipped less than others," he says.

Avery says tips at The Burrow are pooled and distributed among the entire team.

Callingtipping "confusing and problematic," Avery says she would love toadopt asystemsimilar to that in Australia, whichoffers servers higher wages with the costs baked into the price of food.Going against the tide of North American tipping culture, she says, can be too much for a small business like hers.

"Ithink it's too risky as a business to be outside of the stream, then someone browses your prices online and they're like, 'How could the burrito be this much?'"